The Bengals added another intriguing body to the offensive line mix when they claimed Myles Hinton off waivers from the Eagles, and Orlando Brown Jr. made it clear he’s on board with the move.
“He’s talented, big and really athletic,” Brown said “It gives the coaching staff a real good opportunity to develop and work with a guy we liked coming out of the draft and a guy we liked when we saw him this preseason. A combination of that talent, athleticism, and size is somebody we wanted in the program.”
For Cincinnati, the appeal is obvious: Hinton comes from a Philadelphia group that has built a reputation for turning out quality linemen, and the Bengals are betting on that same pipeline. What happens next will be worth watching, especially as he works through the swing tackle competition and tries to earn a larger role down the road.
The Bengals also broke for the weekend with their attention on the Buccaneers, while another name on the roster mix keeps drawing special-teams value. Harris, 29, spent the last 10 games of last season up from the practice squad and piled up 20 tackles in the kicking game. That helped Cincinnati finish No. 4 in the Pro Football Focus special teams rankings, following a No. 1 finish the year before under Darrin Simmons, the league’s longest-tenured kicking-game coach.
That’s why it wouldn’t be a shock if Cincinnati keeps Joe Giles-Harris active at times this season just for special teams. Simmons has built a career on finding and maximizing players in that lane.
Joe Burrow, meanwhile, sounded energized about where the Bengals are headed in 2026. “We brought in a lot of the right guys, a lot of the right people with the right mindsets to go and chase this goal of winning a Super Bowl and winning as many games as we can and being the best possible team that we can.
I felt it from our D-line. I felt it from our defense.
Our offense has the same guys as years past. … But these veteran guys that we brought in on defense to be able to help our younger guys.”
Burrow’s point wasn’t a threat or an ultimatum. It was a reminder not to waste the window sitting in front of them.
There’s also a little draft ripple effect hanging over Cincinnati’s future. Trey Hendrickson’s four-year, $112 million deal could bring the Bengals a third-round compensatory pick in next year’s draft, while Volson’s smaller deal could potentially return a seventh-rounder as well.
And yes, Cordell Volsen somehow finding a way to screw over the Bengals another year would be right on brand.
Elsewhere, one Super Bowl LXI prediction had the Los Angeles Rams as a favorite and imagined a fitting ending for Cincinnati: Joe Burrow slipping away from Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett in the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium for the game-winning touchdown and the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy. There was even a call for a defensive holding penalty on Ja’Marr Chase near the end zone late. If the Bengals ever do get that shot, beating another team in its own stadium would be about as sweet as it gets.
In Other News...
Bengals May Be Fast-Tracking Joe Burrows Next Big Protection Test
The Bengals have been leaning on one of the NFLs toughest interior defenders in practice to sharpen Connor Lew, a rookie center working his way back from a torn ACL. Dexter Lawrence, a two-time All-Pro, gives Cincinnati a problem that looks a lot like the ones Lew will face on Sundays, and that kind of daily stress is part of the plan as the team keeps developing him behind veteran Ted Karras.
For Cincinnati, the bigger picture is obvious: the center spot is one of the most important lines of protection for Joe Burrow, and the franchise is already thinking ahead to the eventual transition. Lew is viewed as a potential long-term answer there, so every rep against Lawrence serves both the present and the future, even if the real test of how ready he is still lies ahead. [Read more 🡒]
JaMarr Chase Just Gave Bengals Fans A New Off-Field Reason To Care
JaMarr Chase has turned another chapter of his partnership with Fabletics into something Bengals fans can actually shop, releasing a new collection that blends performance gear with casual looks. It is the third drop in the relationship, and this one comes with a fairly wide spread of options, from cargo pants and oversized tees to joggers, shorts and hoodies, giving Chase another way to stay visible beyond Sundays.
The collection features 25 styles and is available online and at Fabletics stores nationwide, with prices running from $14.95 to $159.95. For Cincinnati-area fans, there is also a local wrinkle: exclusive items are being sold at the Kenwood, Ohio location, adding a little hometown appeal to a rollout that keeps Chase in the conversation even when he is not making plays on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Have Found A Practice Squad Corner Worth Watching
The Bengals 16-man practice squad brought a few familiar roster-filler names, but cornerback Trikweze Bridges stands out as the one worth a closer look. The undrafted rookie, who spent time with the Cowboys before landing in Cincinnati, brings rare physical traits for the position, including a 6-foot-9 wingspan and noticeable speed. Those tools alone do not guarantee anything, but they do make him an interesting stash for a team that is always balancing depth, development and the demands of special teams.
Bridges enters a cornerback room where every back-end spot matters, especially when a team is trying to preserve flexibility for the weeks ahead. His path to a larger role likely starts on special teams and in practice, where the Bengals can keep evaluating whether his length and athletic profile translate into something more than a reserve option. For a roster still sorting out its long-term corner situation, a practice squad addition like Bridges is the sort of move that can quietly become more important than it looks on the surface. [Read more 🡒]